Self contained flush toilet having slide valve

ABSTRACT

Portable toilet apparatus which comprises a plurality of molded plastic members that are configured and connected so as to form a fluid tight unit which is compact so that it can be readily carried from place to place. The unit consists of a waste holding tank, a flush water tank positioned on top of the waste holding tank, a bowl having an open lower discharge end positioned to discharge waste into the holding tank and an open upper end which receives flushing water, and an upwardly inclined valve member which is slidably mounted for movement between a position closing the discharge end of the bowl and an open position above the discharge end of the bowl so that waste can flow therethrough. An actuating rod attached to the valve member extends upwardly and rearwardly through the upper wall of the apparatus at a position behind the seat and a handle is attached to the upper end of the rod for conveniently moving the rod so as to actuate the valve member.

United StatesPatent [191 Sargent et al.

[ July 24,1973

[ SELF CONTAINED FLUSH TOILET HAVING SLIDE VALVE [75] Inventors: Frank T. Sargent, Nuneaton,

1 Warwickshire, England; James M.

Andersen, Ann Arbor, Mich.

[731 Assignee: Thetiord Corporation, Ann Arbor,

Mich.

[22] Filed: Oct. 27, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 193,060

[52] U.S. Cl 4/17, 4/10, 4/78 [51] Int. Cl E030! 5/01, E03d 5/012, E03d 5/09 [58] Field of Search 4/12, 13, 17, 48,

4/78, 80,102,l0,128,l29,l32,133,140, 216, 249, 252, 76, 115, 142; 251/203 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 243 0/1852 Great Britain 4/76 Primary ExaminerJohn Petrakes Assistant ExaminerStuart S. Levy Attorney-Finn G. Olsen et al.

[57] ABSTRACT Portable toilet apparatus which comprises a plurality of I molded plastic members that are configured and connected so as to form a fluid tight unit which is compact so that it can be readily carried from place to place. The unit consists of a waste holding tank, a flush water tank positioned on top of the waste holding tank, a bowl having an open lower discharge end positioned to discharge waste into the holding tank and an open upper end which receives flushing water, and an upwardly inclined valve member which is slidably mounted for movement between a position closing the discharge end of the bowl and an open position above the discharge end of the bowl so that waste can flow therethrough. An actuating rod attached to the valve member extends upwardly and rearwardly through the upper wall of the apparatus at a position behind the seat and a handle is attached to the upper end of the rod for conveniently moving the rod so as to actuate the valve member.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PAIENIEUJULZWH 3. 747, 130

sum 1 0T 3 F IG. 5

IN VENTO RS 20 FRANK 7. SARGEA/T Mme-s n2 AMoaessM ATTORNEYS PATENIEDJULEMM sum 3 or 3 F IG 7 INVENTORS FRH/Vh T S/IRGENT' JAMES M. ,q/voERsE/V 0% 5 Jam ATTORNEYS SELF CONTAINED FLUSH TOILET HAVING SLIDE VALVE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Portable toilet apparatus is coming into wide use in the recreational vehicle field because of the versatility that such apparatus provides. It is an object of the present invention to provide improved toilet apparatus of this type which is advantageous because the construction thereof enables manufacture in a compact portable form that is fluid tight, and is easily used and reused.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The toilet apparatus of this invention consists of a relatively small number of parts that are preferably molded from polyethylene since it is a rugged and lightweight material, with the parts being arranged in a stacked assembly which is relatively easy to accomplish during manufacture. The apparatus consists of a bottom or base which constitutes the waste holding tank, an irregularly shaped intermediate wall member which is supported on the holding tank and forms the top wall thereof, and an upper wall member which is supported on the intermediate wall member and forms the top wall of a flush water tank. The usual seat and cover are disposed above the upper wall member. An internal bowl has an open upper end which communicates with aligned openings in the upper wall member and the seat and an open lower end which discharges into the waste holding tank. A valve blade is slidably supported on a track formed on the intermediate wall member so that the blade can be moved between a position closing the lower end of the bowl and a position to one side of the lower end of the bowl. An actuating rod extends upwardly and rearwardly through the upper wall member at a position behind the seat for actuating the valve blade. A bellows-type flush mechanism is mounted on the upper wall member adjacent the valve blade actuating handle and is capable of discharging a predetermined amount of water from the flush water tank into the upper end of the bowl. Thus, a user of the toilet apparatus of this invention finds the flush mechanism, namely, the bellows and the valve blade actuating handle in a location that is conventional with toilets; a location to the rear of the seat. A water fill opening is provided in the upper wall member and a baffle associated with the fill opening limits the amount of water that can be introduced into the flush water tank to an amount of water approximately equal to one half the capacity of the holding tank, thus providing a proper ratio of water to waste content so that the water supply is exhausted when the waste tank is full, requiring emptying. The waste holding tank member, the intermediate wall member, the upper wall member, and the bowl are formed with tongue and groove joints and hollow tubular seal members formed of a resilient material such as rubber or the equivalent are positioned in the joints so that when the members are connected by conventional screws, the seals are compressed to insure fluid tight seals at the joints to thereby preclude leaking of the apparatus during use and transport.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the toilet apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the toilet apparatus of this invention as seen from the line 2-2 in FIG. 1, showing the valve blade and the actuating mechanism therefor in bowl closed position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, illustrated similarly to FIG. 2 showing the valve blade and the actuating mechanism therefor in bowl open" position;

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional views of various portions of the apparatus of this invention as seen from the lines 4-4, 5-5, 66 and 7-7, respectively, in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the valve blade and bowl assembly portion of the apparatus of this invention as seen from substantially the line 88 in FIG. 2.

With reference to the drawing, the toilet apparatus of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as consisting of a multi-part body 12 having a front side 13 and a rear side 15. The body 12 includes a support base 14 and a cover 16 which is opened during use of the apparatus and which is closed, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the apparatus 10 is being transported by means of a carrying handle 18 on the rear side 15.

The body 12 consists of a lower tank member 20 which is formed integral with the handle 18 and the base 14 and which is upwardly concave so as to form a waste holding tank 22. The upper end of the lower tank member 20 is formed with an outwardly extended flange 24 which has an integral upwardly projecting tongue 26 for a purpose to appear presently. An intermediate wall member 28, which is also generally concave, is supported on the upper end of the tank member 20 to define the upper wall of the waste holding tank 22. The wall member 28 is formed with a downwardly facing groove 30 into which the tongue 26 projects. A hollow O-ring seal member 32, formed of rubber or an equivalent yieldable material is positioned in the groove 30 so as to be engaged by the tongue 26 for sealing purposes. For a purpose to appear presently, the intermediate wall member 28 also has an internal opening 34 bounded by an upwardly extended tongue 36, one half of the configuration of which is illustrated in FIG. 2.

An upper wall member 38 is formed with a groove 40 into which a tongue 42 on the intermediate wall member 28 projects. A seal member 44, like the seal member 32, is positioned in the groove 40. Screws 46 extend through the flange 24 and the intermediate wall member 28 into the upper wall member 38 and function when tightened to compress the seals 32 and 44. This compression of the seals functions to provide fluid tight joints between the members 20, 28 and 38.

A bowl member 48 has a lower end 50 which is open and a larger upper end 52 which is also open. The lower end 50 supports an annular downwardly projecting seal member 54 and is'inclined upwardly and rearwardly as shown in FIG. 2, for a purpose to appear presently. An irregularly shaped groove 56 in the bowl 48 is positioned so that the tongue 36 on the intermediate'wall member 28 projects into the groove and, when screws 58 (only one of which is shown) are tightened, a seal 60, like the seal 32 is compressed in the groove to provide a fluid tight joint. The screws 58 pass through flange 59 and are screwed into bosses 61 formed in the bottom of bowl member 48 adjacent to the periphery of the internal opening 34. The upper end 52 of the bowl 48 forms a tongue which projects into a groove 62 in the upper wall member 38. A seal 64, like the seal 32, is positioned in the groove 62 and is compressed when the screws 46 are tightened. An opening 66 in the upper portion of the bowl 48 communicates with a fluid inlet line 68 which supplies flushing water to the opening 66.

The line 68 communicates with a manually operable bellows pump 70, the details of which form no part of the present invention, which is mounted on the top wall member 38 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 adjacent the rear side of the body 12. The pump 70 is also connected to an inlet pipe 72 which extends into a depression 74 in the intermediate wall member 28. The intermediate wall member 28 and the upper wall member 38 cooperate to form a tank 76 therebetween which contains flush water and extends around the bowl 48. As can be seen in FIG. 2 a portion of the bowl 48 extends between the intermediate wall 28 and the upper wall 38 to form a further wall for the flush water tank. Thus, when the bellows pump 70 is depressed, a predetermined volume of flush water is discharged through the opening 66 in a tangential path for swirling flow downwardly in the bowl 48 for ultimate discharge through the lower end 50 of the bowl 48 into the holding tank 22. When the bellows pump 70 is released, a predetermined volume of flush water is drawn from the tank 76 through the inlet line 72 into the pump 70 for discharge during the next flush.

The intermediate wall member 28 is formed with an upwardly and rearwardly inclined curved track 78 which extends below the lower end 50 of the bowl 48. A valve blade 80 is slidably mounted in the track 78. The blade 80 is formed of plastic and is provided at its opposite edges with integral downwardly extending leaf springs 82 which engage the track 78 and urge the valve blade 80 upwardly into odor tight sealing engagement with the seal member 54 when the blade 80 is in its bowl closed" position shown in FIGS. 2 and 8. Adjacent its rear edge, the blade 80 is hooked onto an actuating rod 84 which extends upwardly and is slidably supported in an opening 86 in the upper wall member 38. A vent opening 88 is provided in the upper wall member 38 at a position adjacent the guide opening 86 for a purpose to appear presently.

An actuating handle 90 attached to the upper end of the rod 84 is readily operable to pull the rod upwardly to its position shown in FIG. 3 to in turn move the valve blade 80 to its bowl open position shown in FIG. 3. Initial movement of handle 90 uncovers vent opening 88 prior to movement of blade 80 far enough to open bowl opening 50. With the handle 90 in the upper position shown in FIG. 3, the vent opening 88 is uncovered so that air in the tank 22 can escape during flow of liquid from the bowl 48 into the tank 22. The provision of the vent opening 88 thus precludes bubbling in the bowl 48 during flushing of the toilet apparatus 10. When the handle 90 is manually manipulated so as to push the rod 86 downwardly to return the valve blade 80 to its bowl closed" position shown in FIG. 2, the handle 90 closes the vent opening 88, as shown in FIG. 2, to prevent the escape of odors from the tank 22. The usual toilet seat 92 and the cover 16 are hingedly mounted on the body 12 at a position above the upper wall member 38 for rearward swinging movement, as

shown in FIG. 6, to positions providing access to the bowl 48.

In the use of the toilet apparatus 10, the flush water tank 76 is filled through an opening 93 (FIG. 4) in the upper wall member 38. A depending baffle 94 in the tank 76 limits filling of the tank 76 to a level corresponding substantially to the bottom end 96 of the baffle 94 since all water entering the tank 76 must flow under the baffle 94 and a pocket of air is trapped in the upper extremities of tank 76 by baffle 94. When the tank 76 is filled to this level, it contains an amount of flush water which, when added to the volume of waste that it will flush, corresponds substantially to the capacity of the holding tank 22. Thus, the provision of the baffle 94 prevents the carrying of excess water in the tank 76. The apparatus 10 is flushed by moving the valve blade 80 to the open position shown in FIG. 3 and depressing the pump 70. When flushing is concluded, the valve member 80 is returned to its bowl closed position shown in FIG. 2. When the holding tank 22 is filled, the apparatus 10, with the cover 16 closed, is transported, by manually grasping the handle 18, to a discharge location where a cap 98 for a discharge opening 100 on the tank member 20 is removed and the holding tank 22 is manually discharged. The cap 98 is then replaced and the flush water tank 76 is refilled so that the apparatus 10 is ready for re-use.

From the above description, it is seen that this invention provides toilet apparatus 10 which is readily manufactured and assembled by virtue of the stacked nature of assembly of the multi-part body 12. In the body 12, all of the parts fit one on top the other and are readily secured by the screws 46 and 58. These parts are readily molded from polyethylene which has the advantage of being lightweight, rugged, and easy to mold, but which shrinks during molding so that dimensional stability is difficult to maintain and is slippery so that adjacent parts cannot be glued together. In the body 12, the tongue and groove joints with the hollow compressible seals enables the use of the screws for assembly purposes while still insuring fluid tight assembly. During use of the apparatus 10, the bellows pump and valve blade actuating handle 90 that are used in flushing are conveniently located rearwardly of the toilet seat and both are easily operated by hand. Since the construction of the apparatus 10 makes it compact and lightweight, the entire apparatus can readily be transported by hand, using the handle 18, to a suitable discharge station.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the blade and the handle 84 are curved upwardly and rearwardly. This curvature reduces the angle between handle 84 and vertical to facilitate manual operation of handle 90.

What is claimed is:

l. Toilet apparatus comprising means forming a waste holding tank, a bowl having an upwardly inclined lower discharge end that is open and is positioned to discharge waste into said tank, an upwardly inclined valve member slidably mounted for movement between a position closing said bowl discharge end and a position above said discharge end so that waste can flow therethrough, manually operable means secured to and extending upwardly from said valve member for moving the valve member between said positions, means forming a flush water tank surrounding at least a part of said bowl, said bowl providing a wall for at least part of said flush water tank, and means for moving water from said flush water tank into said bowl for flow therethrough into said holding tank.

2. Toilet apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said waste holding tank includes a top wall, and track means on said top wall slidably supporting said valve member for movement between said positions.

3. Toilet apparatus according to claim 2 further including seal means on said bowl discharge end engageable with said valve member in said closed position thereof to provide an odor tight seal between said valve member and said bowl discharge end.

4. Toilet apparatus comprising means forming a waste holding tank, a bowl having an upwardly inclined lower discharge end that is open and is positioned to discharge waste into said tank, an upwardly inclined valve member slidably mounted for movement between 'a position closing said bowl discharge end and a position above said discharge end so that waste can flow therethrough, manually operable means secured to and extending upwardly from said valve member for moving the valve member setween 2aid positions, 2aid tank having a top wall, track means on said top wall slidably supporting said valve member for movement between said positions, seal means on said bowl discharge end engageable with said valve member in said closed posi tion thereof to provide an odor tight seal between said valve member and said bowl discharge end, and spring means on said valve member engaged with said track means and operable to urge said valve member into engagement with said seal means.

5. Toilet apparatus comprising means forming a waste holding tank, a bowl having an upwardly inclined lower discharge end that is open and is positioned to discharge waste into said tank, an upwardly inclined valve member slidably mounted for movement between a position closing said bowl discharge end and a position above said discharge end so that waste can flow therethrough, manually operable means secured to and extending upwardly from said valve member for moving the valve member between said positions, said holding tank having a top wall, track means on said top wall slidably supporting said valve member for movement between said positions, means on top of said holding tank forming a flush water tank, manually operable means for selectively moving water from said flush water tank into said bowl for flow therethrough into said holding tank, and means forming a vent opening in said top wall means positioned so that said vent opening is closed by said manually operable means when said valve member is in a position closing the discharge end of said bowl and open in all other positions of said valve member.

6. Toilet apparatus according to claim 1 further including a seat disposed above said bowl and having a front end and a rear end, said valve member being inclined upwardly and rearwardly and said manually operable means extending upwardly and rearwardly from said valve member and terminating in an actuating handle located rearwardly of said seat.

7. Toilet apparatus comprising a waste holding tank member having an open upper end, an irregularly shaped intermediate wall member supported on said upper end so as to form a top wall for said tank, an upper wall member supported on said intermediate wall member so as to form therewith a flush water tank, means forming openings in said wall members, a bowl member mounted on said intermediate wall member, said bowl having an open upper end aligned with the opening in said upper wall member and an open lower end aligned with the opening in said intermediate wall member, selectively operable means for transferring a predetermined amount of water from said flush water tank to the upper portion of said bowl for flushing water therethrough into said holding tank, and a valve blade means mounted on said intermediate wall member for movement into and out of a position closing the lower end of said bowl.

8. Toilet apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said members are formed of plastic material and tongue and groove joints are provided between said members, hollow seal members formed of a yieldable material are interposed in said joints, and means are provided connecting said members so as to compress said seal members and make said joints fluid tight.

9. Toilet apparatus according to claim 7 further including means forming a water till opening in said upper wall member communicating with said flush water tank, and depending baffle means on said upper wall member extending into said flush water tank adjacent said fill opening so as to limit the amount of water that can be introduced into said flush watertank to a predetermined amount, said predetermined amount corresponding substantially to the capacity of said waste water tank, minus the volume of waste flushed by water from said flush water tank.

10. Toilet apparatus according to claim 7 further including track means on said intermediate wall member slidably supporting said valve blade means for translatory movement between a closed position in sealing engagement with the lower end of said bowl and an open position to one side of said bowl, a rod member connected to said valve blade means and operable to push and pull said blade means between said positions, said rod member being extended upwardly through and guidably supported in said upper wall member.

4: a: :v a 

1. Toilet apparatus comprising means forming a waste holding tank, a bowl having an upwardly inclined lower discharge end that is open and is positioned to discharge waste into said tank, an upwardly inclined valve member slidably mounted for movement between a position closing said bowl discharge end and a position above said discharge end so that waste can flow therethrough, manually operable means secured to and extending upwardly from said valve member for moving the valve member between said positions, means forming a flush water tank surrounding at least a part of said bowl, said bowl providing a wall for at least part of said flush water tank, and means for moving water from said flush water tank into said bowl for flow therethrough into said holding tank.
 2. Toilet apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said waste holding tank includes a top wall, and track means on said top wall slidably supporting said valve member for movement between said positions.
 3. Toilet apparatus according to claim 2 further including seal means on said bowl discharge end engageable with said valve member in said closed position thereof to provide an odor tight seal between said valve member and said bowl discharge end.
 4. Toilet apparatus comprising means forming a waste holding tank, a bowl having an upwardly inclined lower discharge end that is open and is positioned to discharge waste into said tank, an upwardly inclined valve member slidably mounted for movement between a position closing said bowl discharge end and a position above said discharge end so that waste can flow therethrough, manually operable means secured to and extending upwardly from said valve member for moving the valve member between said positions, said tank having a top wall, track means on said top wall slidably supporting said valve member for movement between said positions, seal means on said bowl discharge end engageable with said valve member in said closed position thereof to provide an odor tight seal between said valve member and said bowl discharge end, and spring means on said valve member engaged with said track means and operable to urge said valve member into engagement with said seal means.
 5. Toilet apparatus comprising means forming a waste holding tank, a bowl having an upwardly inclined lower discharge end that is open and is positioned to discharge waste into said tank, an upwardly inclined valve member slidably mounted for movement between a position closing said bowl discharge end and a position above said discharge end so that waste can flow therethrough, manually operable means secured to and extending upwardly from said valve member for moving the valve member between said positions, said holding tank having a top wall, track means on said top wall slidably supporting said valve member for movement between said positions, means on top of said holding tank forming a flush water tank, manually operable means for selectively moving water from said flush water tank into said bowl for flow therethrough into said holding tank, and means forming a vent opening in said top wall means positioned so that said vent opening is closed by said manually operable means when said valve member is in a position closing the discharge end of said bowl and open in all other positions of said valve member.
 6. Toilet apparatus according to claim 1 further including a seat disposed above said bowl and having a front end and a rear end, said valve member being inclined upwardly and rearwardly and said manually operable means extending upwardly and rearwardly from said valve member and terminating in an actuating handle located rearwardly of said seat.
 7. Toilet apparatus comprising a waste holding tank member having an open upper end, an irregularly shaped intermediate wall member supported on said upper end so as to form a top wall for said tank, an upper wall member supported on said intermediate wall member so as to form therewith a flush water tank, means forming openings in said wall members, a bowl member mounted on said intermediate wall member, said bowl having an open upper end aligned with the opening in said upper wall member and an open lower end aligned with the opening in said intermediate wall member, selectively operable means for transferring a predetermined amount of water from said flush water tank to the upper portion of said bowl for flushing water therethrough into said holding tank, and a valve blade means mounted on said intermediate wall member for movement into and out of a position closing the lower end of said bowl.
 8. Toilet apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said members are formed of plastic material and tongue and groove joints are provided between said members, hollow seal members formed of a yieldable material are interposed in said joints, and means are provided connecting said members so as to compress said seal members and make said joints fluid tight.
 9. Toilet apparatus according to claim 7 further including means forming a water fill opening in said upper wall member communicating with said flush water tank, and depending baffle means on said upper wall member extending into said flush water tank adjacent said fill opening so as to limit the amount of water that can be introduced into said flush water tank to a predetermined amount, said predetermined amount corresponding substantially to the capacIty of said waste water tank, minus the volume of waste flushed by water from said flush water tank.
 10. Toilet apparatus according to claim 7 further including track means on said intermediate wall member slidably supporting said valve blade means for translatory movement between a closed position in sealing engagement with the lower end of said bowl and an open position to one side of said bowl, a rod member connected to said valve blade means and operable to push and pull said blade means between said positions, said rod member being extended upwardly through and guidably supported in said upper wall member. 